Poison
by Suchan and Twelve
Summary: Meredith has never wanted anything more than to be a Templar knight in the service of the Maker and keep the citizens of her city safe from the dangers, the poison of magic. But not even Meredith is safe from the whims of fate.


Poison

Chapter 1

Meredith stared down from her window, the sunlight warm on her face. Her aquamarine eyes closed in contentment for a moment, then returned to the dim city below. A book was open before her, forgotten in the fog of afternoon daydreams. She watched the Templars below in the courtyard, standing guard in the square, armor a-shine and swords at the ready. She sighed.

How absolutely glorious, to be a Templar knight and uphold the glory and the will of the Maker. To defend the lands against the insidious sickness of magic. She found herself twirling a strand of her straw blonde hair around her finger, and frowned. She wanted no part of this sissy femininity her step-father insisted on. Reading, sewing, poetry, calligraphy, perfect postures, how to be the perfect hostess. Hated, hated, hated all of it. What she wanted to be doing was training to be a Templar knight.

She sighed, and turned back to the book of poetry she was supposed to be memorizing for her tutor's next visit. Meredith glared at the book and slammed it shut in a fit of fury. Damn this all. She stomped off to her room as fast as the damned dress would allow, and after locking the door, dug through to the bottom of her armoire for her breeches, boots, simple shirt and cap. She changed quickly and tucked her fair locks under the cap.

She glared, determined, at her reflection in the mirror. The boy in the mirror threw a practice punch at her, and smiled faintly, lowering his hands. Her outfit was dusty and ruffled enough no one should throw her a second glance down at the docks. Just another faceless Lowtowner. She backed up to the window, staring down and across the courtyard outside of it. Carefully, she clutched at a vine and carried herself down, hitting the ground running before anyone would see her. Her feet led her out to the docks, found herself staring out across the lake at the Gallows.

Should she go today? Maybe only to look around. Maybe she wasn't ready to leave just yet. A slender finger tucked a wayward lock of hair back up under the cap. Something bumped her shoulder violently, and she caught sight of a dark haired elf stealing away with something shiny. "Hey!" she shouted, tearing after him. "Hey, get back here! Thief!"

The alleys wound around and around in Lowtown, and Meredith lost sight of him soon. She looked up at the high walls around her, and the unfriendly faces glancing her way with unholy intentions. She tugged the cap lower on her face and tried to blend in, or at least look shady enough to not be bothered with. A hand suddenly reached out of a nearby alley and pulled her in, another clapped over her mouth. She panicked. She struggled. "Shhh. I won't hurt you." The hand let her turn around. It was the elven boy from before. Her eyebrows turned down and her face turned ugly mean. "You. You stole something from me. I want it back."

The elf grinned. "You don't fit in down here, Hightowner. You stick out like a sore thumb."

Meredith sighed, pricked by irritation. "And I don't fit in in Hightown either. Now give it back, and we can both go back to whatever it was we were doing."

His green eyes flashed with delight, and eyed her open hand. "I e'nt steal nothin'," he said with a laugh. "I was stealin' from the shemlen at the dock. Always got a few silvers to spare." She watched him carefully as he sat down comfortably on one of the creaky-looking crates in the alley. "You wanna hang around, you can. Crates shouldn't crumble too fast." Meredith paused, looking around the alley for a trap.

"Why did you pull me in here?" She decided to stay standing where she was, where she had easy access to the street. She didn't recognize his face from her previous travels down to the docks. Then again, most elves looked alike, didn't they? High nose bridges and thin, big-eyed faces that always unsettled her faintly. His face was faintly gaunt and his shaggy dark hair kept falling in his mottled green-gold eyes. He looked far too happy for a Lowtowner.

He chuckled. "Didn't want a pretty thing like you getting jumped down here while I could stop it. People aren't friendly to outsiders around here." He took a chunk of bread from his tattered bag, and tore it in half, tossing one half to her. Meredith caught it with surprise. She looked at him, eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion. "It's lunch. You hungry?"

"Thank you." She sat on one of the crates, deciding he wasn't too dangerous. "Is that how you usually get your lunch? On stolen coin?" The elf paused, looking down at his bread. He seemed to be contemplating his words carefully.

"No. Not…usually." He looked at her curiously. "Had a downturn of luck recently though. Can't get the three squares anymore." Meredith found herself blushing at his cheeky grin. Why…? She looked down at the bread, and nibbled at it. Her stomach roared at her for more, and she bit into it hungrily.

"Shoulda brought something with you, Hightowner. Coulda had a real feast down here," he laughed. She swallowed, and looked up at him, unsure why she was trusting him now.

"Meredith."

"Hm?"

"My name is Meredith. I come to the docks every day, deciding whether to go to the Gallows or not. I want to be a Templar." Her fierce gaze seemed to surprise him even more than her admission.

"I see. Daddy won't let you, I suspect," he said lightly, trying to savor the last bits of the dark crusted bread while keeping an eye focused on her. The color seemed to swirl and blend. Meredith found her face feeling warm.

She glared off at the far end of the alley. "Yes," she muttered darkly, biting the bread a bit harder than necessary.

When she looked back up, his eyes were sparkling mischievously. "But you're gonna do it anyway."

She couldn't help it; his cheer was infectious and she found herself smiling at him. It had been so long since she'd smiled geniunely it felt like her muscles were rusting and creaking. The elf licked the crumbs from his fingers and hastily packed himself up.

"Well, then, we should get going, shouldn't we? Long row across the lake."

"What?"

He turned to her, offering a hand. "You wanna be a templar, don't you?"

"Yes."

She smiled at him, and took his hand, heart high in the clouds. "Then let's go do it!"

They ran down the dirty streets of Lowtown, their smiles bright, and Meredith laughed, a clear, pretty sound that hadn't graced the air in such a long time. It felt so good. She closed her eyes to the warm sun for a moment, and the world was glorious for those precious minutes.

She'd slipped a bit of coin to one of the dockmen and the elf volunteered to row them across. "Allow me, milady. I know you're eager to get across," he said with a wink, earning another bright smile from her, "but your scholars' arms will take us days to row with."

She laughed. "Fair enough." After a few minutes, she looked at him, thoughtfully. "You never told me your name." He winked at her.

"Names are pretty, but useless, dear Meredith."

"Oh, no fair!" she squealed. "I already told you mine!" He laughed, thoroughly amused with himself. His strong arms had gotten them already halfway across the lake.

"In exchange for the bread." His grin turned mischievous. "I'll tell you when I think of what I want in return."

Meredith pretended to pout at him, but it didn't last long as the Gallows loomed ever closer. Her stomach jolted with anticipation. Would they even take her? This was what she wanted. She would train harder than any other templar, ever. She would earn her place among the ranks.

The little boat bumped against the shore, and the elf jumped out and dragged her up on the shore. He held out a hand to help Meredith out of the unsteady thing. It tilted, suddenly, and pushed her into his chest. She felt his gentle chuckle rather than heard it, and looked up tentatively, heart pounding. She'd never been this close to a man before. She realised now that he was a fair bit older than her, with broad shoulders.

"Well, now." His hand still clasped hers, warming her fingers, and her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I didn't mean to fall on you."

"I meant to catch you," he said earnestly, tilting her chin upwards with his other hand. "I think I know what I'd like in return for my name."

"Yes?" Although in truth she already knew. Her insides had turned to jelly. Her hands trembled. His smile was gentle and sweet, and she knew she was blushing deeply. She closed her eyes as he leaned down to touch her lips with his. It was sweet, and short, and when he pulled away a second later, Meredith wished he hadn't. She opened her eyes, and searched his face.

"My name is Orsino." She smiled. She leaned up on her toes and kissed him again, quickly. His smile was confused.

"I'm feeling generous today," she said with a grin, insides still trembling. "Shall we go?"

"Lead the way, Lady Templar-to-be."

He followed close behind her as she fought to keep herself at a steady pace, instead of skipping, shoulders back and head held high, face glowing with happiness like the sun itself. Orsino couldn't take his eyes off of her. She truly was a treasure, driven and glorious in pursuit of her dreams. He sighed softly, regretfully.

She turned, face questioning. He shook his head and smiled. "Lead on."


End file.
